One of the things that make the Academic Magnet so great is the amount of character and personality the students and faculty exhibit. One such way the teachers of Magnet show off this personality is through the artwork they display in their classrooms. Today I, Cameron Dawson, will attempt to review some of the awesome artwork and posters from the classrooms of the teachers at the magnet. This will be an extremely amateur art critique as my knowledge of art extends as far as Art 1. The artwork will be reviewed out of 10, with points being awarded for creativity, uniqueness, and prominence in the classroom.

1. This first piece, located in Señora Colon’s room, is an illustration of the national coat of arms of Colombia. The seal, which depicts an Andean condor holding an olive crown symbolizing freedom, is designed onto an aluminum sheet and colored with metallic bronze and gold colors. I would say that the piece exhibits creativity through the interesting coloring and materials used and I would say that it is unique in the same sense. The artwork itself is not very prominently displayed, as it is located on a board in the back of the classroom. Overall, I give this piece a 6/10.

2. For the second piece to analyze, I selected this cat-spider decoration from Mrs. Hooffstetter’s room. This sculpture, created out of plastic-like materials consists of the colors of midnight black and sunrise orange. This is most certainly the most unique piece on this list, being a combination of two different species of animals, the cat, and the spider. Both the cat and the spider are typical Halloween animals and orange and black are both typical Halloween colors leading me to believe that this is a creative Halloween decoration from years past. Thus, I would give this piece an 8/10 for its combination of interesting subject matter and flawless execution. Furthermore, cat-spider is displayed prominently in the classroom, on the front board next to the smartboard leaving it to be a spectacle to behold.

3. For the third installment to be ranked on this list, we have the Aztec like the painting hanging outside of Mr. McCormick’s room. This is one of the more iconic pieces of art lining the halls of the Academic Magnet. It is located in the center of the wall at the end of the main hallway. It is noticeable from practically anywhere in the hall due to its vibrant colors and interesting subject matter. The contrast between the bright yellow and red colors juxtaposed with the black background cause this work to be a focal point of the hallway. Furthermore, the subject matter consists of an Aztec dragon-like figure with geometrical shapes surrounding it. This piece is unique and interesting and thus has earned an 8/10 for my rating.  It was donated by the artist to the Magnet by Dr. Robert Hagerty, retired plastic surgeon and Charleston artist, and uncle of AMHS Alumni Sophie and Lucas Hagerty.   

4. The fourth piece of art featured in this column is one of the more creative posters in Academic Magnet which is located in Mr. Mcgill’s room. The main subject of this piece is an owl wearing scientific goggles sitting upon a tree branch. The caption to the picture is “Be Wise, Protect Your Eyes.” This phrase elevates the poster by not only being phonetically pleasing through rhyming but also letting the reader know the message it is trying to convey. The poster is a propaganda piece attempting to make the reader wear their scientific goggles. It is because of the interesting subject matter I give this poster a 4/10.

5. The final piece of art described in this article is one of, if not Magnets’ most famous piece of art. This poster, located in Mr. Percy’s room holds wisdom which elevates beyond typical human comprehension. The subject matter of the piece is a statue, covered in bird feces with a seagull-like bird sitting atop of it. The almost sad-looking statue illustrates the message of the poster. The poster is captioned “Some Days You’re The Pigeon, Some Days You’re The Statue.” This describes the ebb and flow of life and how good days come with the bad days, specifically how some days you can be the proud bird perched on top of the statue, and other days you are the statue with bird poop all over you. To me, this information is invaluable, and that paired with the perfect picture to encapsulate the saying leads me to believe that this painting is a 10/10. Furthermore, the poster is hanging by the door allowing everyone passing by to see the wisdom it has to offer.